Actor Timothy Busfield indicted on 4 counts of sexual contact with a child

Timothy Busfield appears at the 2020 ABC Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

SANTA FE, N.M. -- “West Wing” and “Field of Dreams” actor Timothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child, a New Mexico prosecutor announced Friday.

The allegations are tied to Busfield’s work as a director on the set of the TV series “The Cleaning Lady” in recent years.

Busfield has denied the allegations, initially filed in court by police, and a defense attorney on Friday said he would “fight these charges at every stage.”

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment in a social media post.

Busfield had turned himself in to authorities in January and was released from jail by a judge who found no pattern of criminal conduct or similar allegations involving children in Busfield’s past.

Larry Stein, an attorney for Busfield, did not comment directly on the sexual contact charge in the indictment but said the grand jury declined to endorse grooming charges sought by prosecutors. Prosecutors declined to comment on what accusations it brought before the grand jury.

Stein said in a statement that a detention hearing already “exposed fatal weaknesses in the state’s evidence -- gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure.”

“Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court,” the statement said.

An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department said a boy reported that Busfield touched him on his private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was seven years old and another time when he was eight, according to the initial criminal complaint from police. The boy’s twin told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but he didn’t say anything right away because he didn’t want to get in trouble, the complaint said.

The indictment -- filed Friday in state District Court -- reiterates allegations that Busfield “touched or applied force to the intimate parts” of one of the boys on several occasions.

At a detention hearing last month, Busfield’s attorneys pointed out that the children initially said during interviews with police that Busfield didn’t touch them inappropriately. Busfield’s attorneys then accused the boys’ parents of coaching their children toward incriminating statements after the boys lost lucrative roles on the show.

But Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch has called evidence of abuse against Busfield strong and specific, with support from medical findings and the boys’ therapist. She also said witnesses expressed fear about potential retaliation and professional harm.

Prosecutors have outlined what they said was grooming behavior and abuse of power by Busfield over three decades.

In freeing Busfield on Jan. 20, state District Court Judge David Murphy said that while the crimes Busfield is accused of inherently are dangerous and involve children, prosecutors didn’t prove the public wouldn’t be safe if he’s released.

A grand jury indictment allows the case against Busfield to proceed toward possible trial without a preliminary courtroom hearing on evidence.

Busfield is best known for appearances on “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething.”

By Morgan Lee, The Associated Press